![]() Beatrix remained living in the nursery of her parent’s house until she met and married her solicitor William Heelis in 1913 and gave up writing altogether to concentrate on farming. She had intended to live there with Frederick Warne, the editor at her publishers who she had become engaged to that year, but tragically Warne died a month after they agreed to marry. It was in the Lake District where her heart truly belonged though and in she bought Hill Top Farm in Cumbria. She even came up with a prototype doll for Peter Rabbit and designed her own wallpaper. Over the course of her writing career, Beatrix Potter went on to publish another twenty-two animal stories, introducing some of the most popular and recognisable children’s characters of all-time including: Jemima Puddle-Duck, Squirrel Nutkin and Mrs Tiggy-Winkle along with other stories and books on how to paint.Īn astute and pioneering businesswoman, Beatrix was entirely involved with every facet of her books’ production and had almost endless ideas for toys and games to accompany them. It took a further seven years for Beatrix’s story to reach print but finally, after much amendment, Warne’s publishers agreed to produce a modest print-run of her ‘little book’ (as Beatrix always referred to it) about a certain Mr Peter Rabbit. However, the character destined to become her most famous creation came out of a little storybook she sent (accompanying one of her many ‘picture letters’) to entertain the children of her former governess, Annie Moore in 1893. To earn some money, Beatrix and Bertram successfully designed and sold their own greeting’s cards which Beatrix illustrated with the animal designs that were to become her trademark. She was unmarried, with no prospect of being so, still in the nursery where she remained well into adulthood - a decided spinster. At 25, Beatrix was by any ordinary measure of the time, a failure. The early 19th century offered her no such options. The Potters were wealthy and moved in elite circles the young Beatrix was teased by John Everett Millais and attended parties frequented by some of the most notable literary and artistic figures of the day, including Oscar Wilde.Ī talented amateur mycologist, a modern day Beatrix Potter might well have gone on to pursue a career in botany or natural sciences. Painfully shy, Beatrix was not a natural socialite, despite the urging of her family who were keen to see her married and settled. ![]() ![]() It was these early sketches that were to become the seeds of inspiration for her best-loved stories. When Bertram went away to school he remembered to leave her with plenty of friends to entertain her, including gifting her a pair of unusual long-eared bats. The two Potter children also kept a variety of pets in the schoolroom including Peter the rabbit, a canary, a budgerigar and a frog called Punch. The family were passionate about the natural world, taking regular holidays in Scotland and the Lake District where the whole family would go out armed with sketchbooks to capture the world around them. Two of her childhood favourites were Alice in Wonderland (she poured over John Tenniel’s illustrations and even tried her hand at her own) and the nonsense verse of Edward Lear. Beatrix loved to read in particular fairy tales. He made sure the young Beatrix and her younger brother Bertram received private painting tuition alongside their other lessons. Her father was a barrister by profession but was also an excellent amateur photographer. The Lords and Ladies of the last century walked with me long the overgrown paths, and picked the old fashioned flowers among the box and rose hedges of the garden.īorn in 1866, Beatrix Potter spent most of her early life in London. The woods were peopled by the mysterious good folk. It does not store any personal data.Everything was romantic in my imagination. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly.
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